Swallow My Pride
by Harlequine-Girl
Summary: Author of 'I Am'...Once upon a time Ginny Weasley couldn't swallow her pride. Now two years later, working as an Auror, and on a case that threatens her sanity she literally runs into her undoing. Can she swallow her pride and learn to be happy? DMGWBZ
1. Chapter 1: Past Tense

**READ THE A/N AT THE BOTTOM!!! 'TWIL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING! **

**BTW…DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HARRY POTTER! ANYTHING YOU SEE THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW IS MOST LIKELY MINE. BUT OH WEL! **

((-))

Swallow My Pride

Chapter 1: Past Tense

It was one of those cases. One of those horrid, messy, emotional roller coaster of a ride, cases. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept, much less the last time she'd eaten anything. All she could remember was the fact that there were 27 children…dead and so far, she was useless. Their pictures and real life accounts were burned in her brain, their tiny bodies broken, blood everywhere, limbs useless and sprawled akimbo like some long forgotten and discarded doll. The images flashed repeatedly through her memory and for umpteenth time that day, she forced herself to walk stoically from her office to the bathroom before emptying her stomach. Gods…did this have to be so horrible?

She braced her hands along the sink and took a glance at the mirror. She honestly did not know the person staring back at her.

Her eyes were puffy and swollen from lack of sleep and numerous breakdowns. Their normal cinnamon depths bloodshot and glazed over, all glint of mischief that was usually permanent, faded to a tiredness that revealed just how hard this had all been. Her skin was grey, an unhealthy, unrelenting grayness that had seeped into her body over the last, she chanced a glance at her watch, 72 hours. There were horrible purple bags under her lackluster eyes that only added to the pallor of her skin. Her hair, normally lustrous and pristine, hung in a very poorly wound bun, wisps escaping, color devoid of any and all life, and the quill holding it threatening to fall. With a sigh she reached up and divested her hair of the offending object and let her long tresses fall. It was even worse down than up.

She turned on the faucet and ran her hands under the cold water, cupping them and filling them before splashing the water all over her face. It startled her back to reality just as she had wanted. With a vigorous shove she used her fingers as a comb and wound her hair back into a tight bun securing it with the same quill she had used before. She cupped her hands again and splashed her face once more, rubbing furiously at her eyes and nose. The last thing she needed was to look like some haggard beast. They were no where near finishing up this case. There was work to be done yet, files to be filled, leads to follow, witness accounts to read, evidence to secure, there was so much to be done.

She turned off the tap and sighed. At least she looked a little more put together now.

She grabbed a paper towel and dried her face and hands. With a wave of her wand her robes were as pristine as usual hanging in neat folds around her small frame. She walked to the door and exited the room only to be stopped by a hand on her elbow.

"Gin" she knew that tone well. It was her boss and he sounded pissed. With a relenting sigh she turned around and faced Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Yes" she muttered. She knew where this was headed.

"Go home." Kingsley whispered. "You've been here 72 hours straight, this case isn't going anywhere. Go home, get some sleep, eat something for Danu's sake!"

"I can't" she replied with a frustrated sigh. "There's too much left to be done! I cannot abandon my work!"

"You're no good to us in the state you're in, Ginny. I can't use you like this, it's not fair, and if your mother finds out she's liable to kill me." Kingsley argued. He had been noticing, over the course of the past 3 days, she was not handling this well. This case had struck a personal cord in Ginevra Molly Weasley and it was wearing her thin. She was usually his brightest, quickest, smartest Auror in the field, but this case…this case was doing her in. If she didn't give up to his request he was going to force her to.

"I can't"

"You can and you will. If need be your brother and Harry can finish up your work. They've only just gotten on shift. If they find out you've been keeping yourself here there will be hell to pay, and not on my part. They'll force you home and into bed and let Molly have at you." Kingsley stated with rigidly concealed amusement. Now was not the time for it, but he could imagine what lengths Molly Weasley would go to, to ensure her daughter's health.

At the mention of her mother being brought in on this whole ordeal Ginny let it go. "Fine. I'll go home. But if you hear anything," she poked her finger in her boss' chest. "And I mean anything, you are to floo me right away."

Kingsley nodded his ascension and turned to escort her towards the lift.

"I need my bag" she protested.

"No you don't. Because you'll try and stuff case work in there and work when you get home and I'm not having any of it!" Kingsley retorted. He knew she would try that, and he also knew she may very likely try and come back later for more of her work. But, he had already had the wards placed around her office. She'd not be getting back in there anytime soon. He stopped her at the lift and pressed the button. "Now, you are going home, and I mean straight home, unless you stop to eat first, which I highly suggest doing. And once you have eaten you are going home, you are going to go to bed and you are going to sleep. I've already seen to it that there's sleep potion stocked in your place. And after that you are going to stay home for 2 days."

"Two days?! I can't stay gone for 2 days! Kingsley! I can't! I have to work this-"

"You can and you will Ginevra! No if's, and's, or butt's about it! If I have to I'll post a guard outside your apartment. Don't make me do that Ginevra. You're, by far, one of my best people. I want to know that you're home and not out gallivanting all over the country side right now. This case will still be here whenever you get back, and if we find anything pertinent we'll contact you. Now, get lost" Kingsley shoved her into the crowd of people in the lift and waved her farewell as the doors closed. He would never forget the look of indignation on her face as the doors shut and he grinned at her. That had been easy.

((-))

Ginny huffed furiously as her boss' form retreated as the doors closed. This was going too far. This was her case, she needed to work it! But, on the other hand, Kingsley was right, not that she would admit that to him. For the last three hours she hadn't been able to concentrate on anything. With a sigh of resignation she hung her head and waited for the lift to stop on the main floor.

Gradually people started filing past her and out onto their respective floors. With a shock she realized that it was the middle of the day and people were only just now returning from lunch. Ah, lunch! Her abused stomach gave a shuddering growl alerting her to the fact, that yes, she had thrown up quite a bit, but she was not sick and did in fact need to eat something.

The doors slid closed yet again and Ginny was left waiting for the lift to finally reach the floor she wanted. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed under her breasts and waited. Finally, after ten more minutes, the doors opened to her floor and she rushed past the gathering crowd and directly into a firm muscular barricade. With an "oomph" she landed hard on her backside. She shifted her weight only slightly and knew, without a doubt, her tail bone was at the very least, bruised. Well wasn't this just the perfect ending to the perfect day, she thought miserably. Tears welled up in her eyes and she squinted them shut determined not to let a single one fall.

"Terribly sorry about that." A disembodied voice stated as a gloved long-fingered hand reached out to help her. Without thinking she slipped her smaller hand in that oh-so-much larger one and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"I hope you're not hurt." Another voice stated from beside the first one.

"No, fine" she stated tiredly as she straightened out her robes. She was tired, hungry, worried, frayed, and now her ass hurt to a stinging point. Could her day get possibly any worse?

"You are alright aren't you?" the first voice asked again, concern etching the deep resounding tones. Ginny looked up and her gaze met an all too familiar mercurial one. Nix that…yes…her day could and just did get worse. She was sorely tempted to burst into tears right then and there.

"Ginevra?" the other one said. Her eyes shifted over and met the undeniable gaze of the other man. His lightening kissed gaze searched hers with unrelenting questioning.

"I'm sorry, I have to go" she whispered trying to push past the both of them. Her attempts were in vain. Both of them stood there, shoulder to shoulder, blocking her only way to freedom.

"Don't do this Ginevra. Do not turn us away again."

This was all too much. The both of them here, concerned about her, her case load, her frayed nerves, her lack of sleep and food, the overall toll this case was taking, everything came flooding up in the form of very poorly concealed tears. A gloved hand wrapped around her upper arm gently and led her away. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Allowing them to do this to her. But right now, her stubborn pride couldn't care less. They were offering her comfort when she needed it, offering her the safe haven they had once been for her.

So, she let them lead her away.

((-))

Draco Malfoy barely concealed a yawn and wrapped his hand around Blaise's. This tour of the Ministry was beyond boring and all he wanted to do was get out and away to their home. It had been a taxing week. There had been board meetings, contracts, a gala charity event, and a gods forsaken wedding. And now, there was this stupid tour of the Ministry to ensure things were running smoothly. For some reason the Minister of Magic had deemed fit for all benefactors of the establishment to make a tour, ensuring their charitable donations would return. Needless to say, it had been a boring day indeed.

"Come on, love. Let's get a bite to eat and get home" Blaise whispered in his ear. Draco could only nod his acquiescence, and let his boyfriend lead him by the hand to the Ministry foyer. As they rounded the corner by the lifts Draco ran straight into someone sending the smaller person sprawling on the floor. With a sigh he outstretched his gloved hand to assist the person to their feet.

"Terribly sorry about that" The small hand slipped into his and he realized it was a female he'd inadvertently run into. He pulled her to her feet.

"I hope you're not hurt" Blaise stated. He could almost catch the barely concealed impatience in his lover's voice.

"No, fine." she mumbled. Draco tried to take a closer look at the witch he'd knocked over. She looked gaunt and shaken and tired.

"You are alright aren't you?" he asked. Concern for this poor witch was suddenly overwhelming. Something was wrong with her and he had the oddest sensation that he knew this poor thing standing before him. And then she finally looked up at him an his eyes captured hers. He would know those cinnamon orbs anywhere, despite the glazed and tired look that lurked beneath the surface. He had dreamed of those eyes ever since the day she'd run out of their lives. He watched as those huge eyes filled with unshed tears in recognition. Blaise's hand convulsed around his own.

"Ginevra?" Blaise's voice came out little more than a strangled whisper. The witch turned her gaze on him and Draco felt rather than saw Blaise's inner torment.

"I'm sorry, I have to go" she whispered and tried to push past them, but they were standing too close together, and combined they were too strong. She couldn't get past them.

"Don't do this Ginevra. Do not turn us away again."

Draco watched as the tears in her eyes fell down her cheeks. The urge to wrap her in his arms and take her far away was nearly overwhelming. He would do damn near anything to chase the look of devastation from her face. He settled for the next best thing. He glanced over at Blaise who was staring down at her. Draco gently wrapped his hand around her upper arm and turned toward the exit. Blaise wrapped his hand around her other arm and together they led her away.

((-))

Draco found them a table and led, the now quiet, Ginevra to it, while Blaise went to the counter and ordered food for the three of them. His Ginny sat of her own free will and looked to him. She wasn't His Ginny anymore. She had made that blatantly clear the day she'd run. But now, here she was, and he couldn't help that those were the thoughts that surfaced. Blaise found their table and sat on the other side, next to Ginny.

"What happened?" Blaise asked after a moment of silence.

For an instant, Draco wanted to strangle his lover. He could be too forward sometimes. And given the state Ginny was in, forward was probably not the best way to approach any subject. So, Draco slid his hand in Ginny's. Something inside him relaxed when she didn't pull away. "Gin, what's wrong?" It was better, with this particular witch, to start with the here and now, not with the past. He had a feeling when Blaise asked "What happened?" he was not referring to the present.

Ginny sighed. "My case."

Draco knew she was an Auror. She had begun her training when the three of them were still together. She had been so excited about it. He remembered the day she'd been accepted into their ranks. She had been the first one awake as usual and checked the mail. They'd heard her before they'd seen her. She'd come bounding up the stairs to their bedroom and flung herself on the bed between the two of them, laughing and smiling all the way.

"What about your case?" Draco ventured. This was almost too easy. He was slipping back into the way things were before she'd left.

"There are 27 children dead and we've no leads on what's causing it. I've been there for 3 days straight trying to put a pattern to it, trying to figure out something that could give us a lead. Know what we've come up with so far? Nothing!" Ginny told them outright. Draco looked at Blaise. She must be tired if her stubborn pride was allowing her to be as open with them as she had been when they were together.

Ginny looked at the two. -Why am I telling them this? I haven't spoken to them in two years.- But her mouth overrode her thoughts. Talking about this was easier than taking it all on her own shoulders, even if she knew the two wizards on either side of her could do nothing about it. "Twenty-seven. Twenty-seven children dead." She could feel another tear threatening to thread its way down her cheek. She wiped it away furiously. "What sort of sick demented fuck would do this? They're children! They've done nothing wrong!"

Blaise chanced a glance at Draco. He was staring at the witch before them with barely concealed horror. He wanted nothing more than to take them both and comfort them in the best way he knew how. He knew Draco wouldn't mind, but it was Ginevra he was worried about. She hadn't spoken to them in two years. She'd kept a perfect distance between herself and the two of them. Once upon a time he would have comforted her. But now, now he was at a loss.

The waiter with their food saved him from his musings. Now that it was here, though, he wasn't sure he wanted to eat, not with all of these revelations. But Ginevra helped him make up his mind. She grabbed her fork and dug into the meal of lobster ravioli Blaise had ordered for her. -Old habits die hard- he thought. He'd ordered her the same thing he'd ordered her last time they'd come to this restaurant. He gave a mental snort. -She always was able to eat at the most unlikely times.- And indeed she had proven it time and time again. Her she was, working a case no one should have to put up with, conversing with two ex-lovers, tired to the bone, and looking, for lack of a better phrase, like hell warmed over, and she was eating.

Blaise barely disguised the ironic smirk that danced along his lips.

((-))

"What were you two doing at the ministry?" Ginny asked after they had all finished their meals.

"Ministry tour. The Minister wanted to ensure our donations again this year." Draco replied. It was far too easy to slip back into their old routine. He mentally kicked himself over the way he was acting. The witch sitting next to him was liable to explode, or worse, leave at any given moment.

"Oh" she replied. Ginny knew she was sitting in the lion's den. Here she was sitting with two ex-lovers trying to converse like old friends. She had avoided them like the plague when all they had wanted to ever do in the first place was ensure her happiness. She had refused them and for what? To prove herself? To quell her stubborn pride and build a life on her own? Her tired mind tried to wrap around the whole notion she had once worked out so perfectly.

There was a whole list of reasons she'd left them. Or at least there had been at one time. Gradually over the last two years the list had been getting shorter and shorter. Within the last 6 months she'd begun to dream about them. Dreams of when they had been together, happy and laughing at something stupid Draco had done. She had tried to force every thought of them away, going so far as to pack away anything and everything they had ever given her. But the dreams were relentless. They came no matter what she did.

But now was no the time to think about this. As Kingsley had said, she needed sleep. She'd be no use to anyone, much less herself in the condition she was in.

"Gin" Draco's whispering of her name brought her out of her daze and into the present. The two of them sat looking at her with concern etched in their oh- so- different gazes.

"I have to go." she stated with a resolve she didn't feel.

"Can't we-"

"Come by this address tomorrow. We can talk." She cut him off and handed Draco a torn off piece of parchment. She never imagined swallowing her pride would be so easy, or maybe it was simply the fact that she hadn't slept. Maybe it made her resolve weak.

She stooped and kissed each of them on the cheek. "Thank you for lunch." she whispered and Apparated away to her apartment.

She landed outside her apartment door with a thud. Even out here she could hear the raucous baying of her dogs. She stuck her key in the lock and let herself in only to be bombarded by the two Wolfhounds she had never been able to give up.

"Remus, Romulus!" she bellowed. The two huge dogs backed away from their mistress and sat on the floor waiting patiently, long tails thumping the floor in perfect synchronization. She knelt in front of them and sighed, reaching up to scratch behind their ears. These were the two things given to her from Draco and Blaise, that she had never been able to give up. Draco and Blaise had each given her a puppy some 3 years ago on her twentieth birthday. When she'd left, she hadn't been able to leave them behind.

"C'mon boys, let's get to bed." She had missed her dogs in the three days she'd spent at the ministry.

She would indeed be glad to take a sleeping potion and curl up in her bed with her dogs on either side of her before facing the two men again tomorrow. She was going to need all the resolve she could get.

((-))

**Well, this was just a hair brined scheme I came up with. Don't really know where it came from, it was just floating around in my head and all the sudden started coming out through my fingers. I think I might actually have a really good direction for this to go in. But I suppose we shall see. **

**I would love it oh so much if you would all leave me some very kind reviews or either complements of constructive criticism. And I am uber sorry if this seemed a little whacked and spaced and a little out there. But either way, leave me some reviews letting me know what you think!**

**BTW…Remus & Romulus were the Founders of Rome, said to have been raised by a Wolf the Romans named Lupe. So I thought it appropriate for them to be Wolfhounds, lol. **

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review…**

**Arigato**

**Ja'ne- Ami **


	2. Chapter 2: Present Tense

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter. Anything you don't recognize is mostly mine.**

**Don't forget to read the A/N at the bottom and leave me your wonderful reviews! LOVE YOU!**

**And I don't know if any of you have caught it, but the Chapter titles have dual meanings. Past Tense not referring to the sentence structure, but referring to Ginny's past with D/B, and how tense she was upon running (literally) into them again. Present Tense not referring to the sentence structure, but referring to the confrontation that will take place. I thought it was a cute idea!!!**

((-))

Swallow My Pride

Chapter 2: Present Tense

In her dream, there was knocking, and it was raining. The knocking would not stop and the rain would not let up.

Ginny swam to the surface of her dreams and realized that indeed there was a knocking, but it had nothing to do with her dreams, and it was not raining, not in the least.

"Romulus!"

Romulus licked her face once more before hopping off her bed and onto the floor with a thud. When she didn't move he let out a bark that startled her enough to at least get his mistress into a sitting position.

"Romulus shut up! Let me sleep five more minutes!" his mistress pleaded. He barked again and looked toward the hallway. So, she really hadn't dreamed the knocking. Who the hell was at her apartment at -she glanced at the clock- 9 in the morning?!

Remus took notice of the knocking and thundered off her bed, taking half the sheets with him as he went. He ran barking to the door and stopped, only to bark some more.

"Danu, Mannanon, and Dagda!!! SHUT UP REMUS!" Ginny yelled as she skittered off the bed and grabbed a bathrobe from the back of her door. Romulus padded beside her as she went and she rested her hand between his shoulder blades. Sometimes it was nice to have dogs that came to just above her waist, there was no effort involved in petting them.

As she neared the short hallway to the door, Remus began barking louder in anticipation. "REMUS!" she commanded. Remus looked at her and quieted though he made anxious little noises instead. There was another polite knock and when Remus looked to bark again, she caught his gaze and gave him a stern warning look. The massive dog backed off with his ears to his head.

Ginny walked past her dog and reached up, unlocking the chain and dead bolt that secured her door. She put a hand to the knob and turned, pulling the door towards her as she went. Remus leapt out into the hall and onto the unsuspecting victim.

"Remus!" she ground out.

There was a light chuckle from the hallway. "He hasn't changed one bit since the day Draco got him for you."

Ginny could only imagine the look on her face when Blaise chuckled. "I hope we didn't disturb you." he said, offering a hand to Draco. "Someone wanted to get here before noon."

"Yes, you did" Draco stated as he stood, forcing Remus down in the process.

"Did not, if I remember correctly you were the one who was up at 5 this morning downing coffee by the gallon. I, on the other hand, suggested we wait a while longer." Blaise shot Draco a knowing glare.

Ginny just stared. When she had told Draco and Blaise to come by she really hadn't meant at 9 o'clock in the morning. But, here they were and here she was. She grabbed Remus by the collar and drug him inside wrenching the door open wider for the two men to enter. Romulus padded up to Blaise and gave an uncharacteristic yip of excitement. Blaise, in turn, knelt on the ground and grabbed Romulus by the ears, yanking them lightly. Romulus melted and lay on the floor proffering his belly to be scratched.

"You spoiled thing, you." Ginny sighed as she rubbed her toes across her dog's belly. Blaise's hand rubbed vigorously at the massive belly of the dog he'd given her.

"I can't believe he still does that." He commented. Blaise had been yanking Romulus' ears since the day he'd given him to Ginny. It was the first trick he'd ever learned and if he ever wanted his belly scratched all he had to do was nudge Ginny and proffer his ears. It was quite hilarious to watch such a massive dog melt to the floor to have his belly rubbed.

"I couldn't either, but he still does. Now, Romulus get up and let them inside."

Romulus, ever obedient, unlike his brother, rolled over and got to his feet.

Draco and Blaise finally managed to make their way inside, despite the small space and the massive dogs, and into the living room. Ginny trailed behind them running her hands through her hair. She had honestly thought she would have time to at least take a shower before they arrived.

"Please, have a seat." Trying her best to be a gracious hostess, Ginny offered them seats on the plush beige suede sofa. The two glanced at her but when they saw the look on her face, they sat without question.

"We're really sorry Gin. We thought you'd be up." Draco stated as he took a seat next to Blaise. His eyes told her that he truly did believe what he thought.

"Yes, well, my sleeping habits have changed since we lived together." she replied, trying and failing to keep the tiredness out of her voice. When they had lived together she had almost always been the first one up. Back then 9 a.m. was sleeping in for her.

"If you'd like we can leave and come back at a more convenient time." Blaise offered.

"No, no. It's fine. I just, well, I wasn't expecting you so early. I took a sleeping potion last night and thought I'd have at least until noon. And besides, you're here now." she said. She stood there and thought for a moment before an idea came to her. "Maybe you could take the dogs for a walk and be back in about 20 minutes. I desperately need a shower and the boys could use a run through the park."

Draco, trying to be as helpful as possible, stood. "Where do you keep their leashes?"

"In the closet by the door." Ginny replied with a soft smile. In the beginning it had taken Blaise and Draco a lot of time and energy to get used to doing things for themselves. She had found them as spoiled, virtually worthless, brats and had turned them into self sufficient men. As they say, behind every great man there's a woman pulling his strings. But, in the end they had amazed her. It had started with the laundry, and several pink loads of clothes and laughter, but they had managed. By the time she'd gotten through with them they were making breakfast for themselves _and_ cleaning up after as well. "The parks about a block up, and don't worry. It's a witchcraft friendly park."

Draco went and got the leashes from the closet and passed one to Blaise. Remus bounded up to Draco at the sight of his leash. Draco laughed and hushed him before clicking the leash to his collar. Romulus sat patiently at Blaise's feet and waited for him to click the leash on. "We'll be back in about half an hour." Draco said and they both headed for the door.

"Thank you"

Blaise and Draco both turned to look at her and gave her a smile. Ginny couldn't stop her heart from fluttering in her chest. It had taken them so long just to be able to do that, and here they were offering them with casual ease.

They went to the door and left her to her thoughts and shower.

After they left Ginny sprinted back to her bedroom. She didn't have all that much time. Half an hour might be enough for them, but for her, well, hip length hair didn't dry all that quickly even with a drying charm.

((-))

"Do you think this will work?" Draco asked as he let Remus off the leash to play.

Blaise sighed and leaned down to unhook Romulus, who bounded off to join his brother. "I don't know, love. I really don't know." He sat down on the nearest bench and patted the seat beside him. Draco sat and wove his fingers through Blaise's.

"I wish we could rewind." He sighed and traced lazy circles with his thumb on the back of Blaise's hand.

"I know. But we can't, and even if we could I doubt things would have played out differently." Blaise replied. Over the past two years Blaise had torn through his thoughts every day trying to figure out just why Ginevra had left them. Everything had seemed perfectly fine until one day. She just left. No good bye, no screaming row, no harsh words, just a note, with little in the way of explanation. -_I'm sorry. I can't stay. I have to do this myself._- Three little sentences and she had walked out of their life.

Eventually it had occurred to him that maybe they had been babying her too much. Before they'd come along she'd been self sufficient, she'd fought by their sides and at their backs in the war, she had always made a place for herself. When they had toyed with the idea of living together after they'd become a trio, it had been the two of them, he and Draco, who'd bought the house with the money of their Majorities. When they took her out shopping they had hidden her purse so that they would buy anything she wanted. Meals were paid for, food was bought, and she never wanted for anything, not a sickle of her hard earned money was spent if they could help it.

It had been the beginning of the end.

Blaise let out an exasperated sigh and glanced at his watch. Lost in his thoughts, as he had been, he had wasted a good 20 of their 30 minutes. "C'mon, what say we get these two back and get some coffee for us all?" he suggested as he stood and stretched.

Draco stood beside him and lifted his arms above his head. "Sounds good. I could go for a muffin or something as well."

"Well," Blaise wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "I think we can manage some muffins."

And so, they called the dogs back, and on the way back to the apartment stopped for coffee and muffins for them all.

((-))

Ginny stuck her head out of her bedroom door at the sound of the front door opening and her dogs skidding on the hard wood floor. She really needed to get a rug, they were going to demolish the wood if they kept that up. She shut the door and went back to her bed putting on the t-shirt she'd grabbed. What was the point in dressing up for two people who had seen her at her lowest?

She headed back to her door and out into the small hallway pulling her hair up into a messy knot as she went. As soon as she hit the kitchen the smell of fresh coffee and warm muffins assaulted her senses and her stomach gave a mutinous growl.

Blaise was standing by the counter taking the coffee cups from their little carrying container and Draco was standing at the island casting warming charms over the muffins.

"You didn't have to go to all the trouble." Ginny stated as she walked in. Remus and Romulus padded over to her and she gave them each a scratch behind the ears.

"Didn't have to, but we wanted to." Blaise replied as he picked up one of the coffee cups and walked over to her. "Now, if I remember correctly, and Danu save me if I got it wrong, you prefer sweet in the morning." He offered her the cup and she took it gingerly, mindful of just how hot the containers could be.

She placed the cup to her lips and took a tiny sip. It wasn't so hot that it burned but that "just the right temperature" kind of hot. She took a bigger sip and sighed. Gods bless Muggles and their ingenuity that had created the wonderful little piece of heaven known as Starbucks. "Cinnamon Dolce Latte with triple espresso shots. You remembered."

"How could I forget, you only drank 50 a day." Blaise replied with a smile. "And if I recall there were three espresso shots in the morning, two in the afternoon, and de-café at night."

Ginny couldn't help but smile. It always was the small things that made her remember why she'd been so happy with them to begin with. Their sharp minds remembered all the little details, it was just the big ones, like when to let her buy and do things on her own, that they seemed to forget. But, she swallowed the pride that threatened to bubble up, coffee was a good way to begin a day, and she had learned not to complain when other people bought her beloved brew for her.

"Thank you," she walked over to the island and plucked a muffin from the plate Draco had set them on, "Both of you." They stood there for a few moments, drinking their coffee and eating their muffins, before Ginny nodded towards the living room. "Shall we?"

The two men nodded and followed her and the dogs into the living room. Ginny opted to sit in the overstuffed armchair by the fireplace leaving the couch for Draco and Blaise. Ginny couldn't help but notice that while Blaise was calm and collected as ever, Draco was restless. Yesterday he had been the one to stop Blaise from asking questions, but, it seemed today he was the one so intent on questioning her himself. Blaise leaned forward and put a hand on his knee to keep it from its constant bobbing motion, then turned his gaze to her.

"Gin…why did you go?" It wasn't Blaise who asked, though he was the one looking at her, but Draco. "I thought we were happy."

The woebegone tone of his voice cut at her heart. He sounded so lost and broken. He had never sounded that way but for once, just after the war. It was that tone of voice that scared her. Draco Malfoy was never "woebegone" or desolate. Unless he was in the company of friends or lovers he rarely showed any emotion at all. And even with them, he'd rarely shown emotion of this magnitude. How could she have been so blind? At the time she'd left and even, to a certain extent, now, she had only thought of what she'd done from her point of view. Only in the last few months had she thought, truly thought, about what it had done and been like for the two of them. She knew now that in her stubbornness and pride she had hurt the two people who had loved her.

"We were…I was…I mean…I thought I was." she mumbled. Damn, would admitting this be so hard? Her heart was screaming at her to tell the truth, but her stupid fucking pride wasn't quite ready to allow it yet. Even now, though she'd worked so hard and made so many adjustments, she wasn't sure if her pride would allow her to get anywhere with them. Her heart and her head were at a standstill and glaring at one another.

"You just left."

"I know." It was the only thing she could think to say. How do you explain to the two people who gave you the world that you didn't want it, without causing pain? She forced her pride down and leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "I was happy, unbelievably so. It's just…I wanted things for myself. I don't know how to really explain it, I just did. You gave me everything I could ever want. But you just…ugh!" She ripped out the pony tail holder and shoved her fingers through her hair. "You _did_ give me everything I ever wanted. And that was the problem! I didn't and don't want to be given everything I've ever wanted. It's not me! It's not who I am."

"We only wanted to make you happy."

And there was Blaise sounding as hurt as Draco.

Ginny got up out of the chair and went to the couch. She knelt in front of them and took one of their large hands in her own small ones. "You did make me happy!" she sighed and settled back on her feet. "I don't know what to tell you to take that pain out of your voice." she scoffed lightly at the irony. Draco and Blaise had both said that to her at one point or another when she was low. "You have to understand how I was raised. You grew up with the money and influence to buy you anything and everything you could ever want and/or need. I grew up with six brothers and parents who worked low paying jobs. All of my brothers took summer jobs before they had even graduated school and so did I. My parents made sure we had the intuition and know how to make it on our own. I never got all I ever wanted. I was given what we could afford and that stuck with me. I never meant to run away. I never meant to hurt either of you. I just didn't know what else to do."

And she hadn't. Running away had seemed the only thing to do at the time. And right now her pride was screaming at her to do the same thing again. If pride could have a voice, hers was cussing her to the heavens and back down again. Confrontation of something this size was not on Pride's agenda.

Blaise's hand tightened around her own and she glanced up at him. "Is it really so hard?" he asked. "Is swallowing your pride really so hard?"

Ginny choked out a sob and nodded. "You have no clue just how hard it is." It had taken her a year of therapy to choke out that one sentence. A year of working with her therapist and friends to say that one sentence, to be able to admit the truth. If pride was a tangible thing, hers was trying to knock her senseless. But, it seemed, her heart was winning out. Maybe, just maybe, if she could get over herself and her stupid fucking pride, she might just get another chance.

As if reading her thoughts Blaise and Draco pulled her up onto the couch, nestling her in between them. "You always have another chance." They stated in perfect unison, then they kissed her on each temple. She gave up and wept freely letting them hold her until her sobs subsided and all that was heard in her apartment were her hiccupping breaths.

After a while Blaise and Draco glanced at one another. This had gone better than planned. It seemed she would give them another chance. But they would be careful this time. They had to be. A repeat of two years ago did not need to happen again, not when they'd just gotten her back into their lives, however tentative the arrangements would be.

"I think we should be going." Draco whispered. Ginny nodded noncommittally and released the hold she had on their hands. Stretching the taught muscles of their appendages, Blaise and Draco stood.

Blaise tipped her head to look up at them and gave her a soft smile. "How about Draco and I get out of here and let you rest. I know you're still tired from your case and you've deserved whatever respite you've got."

Ginny gave them a half smile, the corner of her lips barely tugging upwards. "Rest sounds good right now." she sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"Would it be too much to ask you to join us for dinner tonight?" Draco asked, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Nothing fancy, just the three of us and Luigi's infamous pasta." He tried to give her his best "aw shucks" grin, and hid the joy he felt when she laughed.

"I haven't been to Luigi's in ages." She said with a soft smile. _This will work_, she told herself and deep in her heart she believed it.

"Good, what say we'll be back around seven?" Blaise queried.

"Seven's good" Ginny answered. She stood and for a moment let their presence flow through her and around her, enveloping her like a familiar blanket. Blaise and Draco took the opportunity to stoop down and kiss her lightly on the corner of her mouth, barely brushing their lips against hers.

"Then seven it is." Blaise caught her eyes and smiled, knowing it would do her heart good to see him do it. "And don't worry, we'll take things as slow as you want."

Ginny smiled, "Slow is good." She scoffed. "Slow is very good."

With a wave of their wands they were gone and Ginny was left to scoop her pride up off the floor.

_This will work…I know it will. _

And for the first time in a long time, Ginevra Molly Weasley was truly and honestly looking forward to dinner.

((-))

**Okay, I know this chapter was a little fast moving and I also know, well to me at least, that Blaise and Draco seem a little OOC, dunno if you lot feel that way. But, for anyone who does, you have to think how the war would take effect on people. AND! It has to be this way so that it will flow with what I have planned for later. No worries, my lovelies, it will all come together. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. **

**And I am working on Chapter 14 of "I Am". Never fret. I got stuck on it yesterday, but my muse and I have spoken and the road block is crossed. So it should hopefully be up within the week. I hope. **

**Well, there's the update for you all. And I want to thank each and every one of you who reviewed! I have never gotten 7 reviews for a first chapter of ANY story, and they warmed my heart to no end! I was super, super happy!**

**Don't forget to REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! And also, go to my Author Profile and check out the link for pictures of my idea of Remus and Romulus! And NEVER forget that I love you all! **

**Arigato**

**Ja'ne- Ami!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Looking Forward

**Sorry it's taken me so long. Read the A/N at the bottom. It explains. Now…don't hate me.**

((-))

Swallow My Pride

Chapter 3: Looking Forward

The case was no better now that she was back at work. If anything it was worse.

There had been another death. A little girl…only seven years old.

Ginny rubbed her eyes and looked down at the file her assistant had brought to her. Danu, this was hard. She's already read through the file once, and already knew she'd have to read it again. There was simply too much information. With this one, the girls brother had been left alive. Of course, he'd been barley alive when they'd found him, but he was alive none the less. He'd been in the care of the finest healers for the past two days.

Why was it she was the one given the horrible task of questioning the poor boy? She'd kill Kingsley. She really, really would. She glanced at her watch. She had fifteen minutes until she had to be at the hospital, and had an hour and fifteen minutes until she met the boys for lunch. She hoped she wouldn't be a wreck when she got there, but had the sinking feeling she would. She didn't handle hurt children well. Her motherly instincts always took over and she fussed about them. It happened all the time with her nieces and nephews.

She sighed and stood, straightening her robes. She might as well get this over with.

She jotted a quick letter to the boys before sending it off with one of the ministry owls. She figured she'd let them know she might be a bit late. As she was walking out of her door there was a reply.

_Take as much time as you need. We'll be waiting._

_D & B_

Ginny smiled and stuck the letter in her pocket. She figured she would need a little reminder that there were others in her life who would help her. As she left her office she made sure to put her game face on. No matter how badly this little boy was injured she had a job to do. But Danu, this was a little boy…she had nephews his age!

By the time she actually managed to get to the apparation point she had managed to get her face under control. Though, by the time she reached St. Mungo's that control was highly debatable. She could feel her hands beginning to shake, and she had to fight to keep her breathing steady. For a moment she stood there and got herself under control.

_You can do this. You can do this. You can do this._

She kept her mantra going as she made her way to the nurses station in the children's ward.

The girl, and she meant that literally, behind the counter was too busy reading the latest Witch Weekly, and twirling her bleach blonde hair in her manicured fingers to notice her. Ginny had to clear her throat three times before the nurse actually noticed her.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Ginny cringed as the girl popped her gum with every move of her perfect pearl white teeth. Obviously this one was still _very_ new to the hospital profession, and on protocol in dealing with Aurors.

"Yes. I need to know which room Henry Brighton is in." Ginny stated in her most professional voice.

The girl rolled her eyes. "No one's allowed in his room except family and the authorities."

Ginny couldn't believe this child was so stupid. Were the robes not enough? Was her authoritative manner not a clue? Ginny pursed her lips in a thin line and glared at the girl. "Are you blind as well as stupid? Check the robes, sweetheart. I am the authorities!"

Danu, it took this girl a full moment to rake her eyes over Ginny's frame until finally the dumb wench's eyes landed on the badge.

"Oh…OH! Auror -"

"Weasley," Ginny finished curtly.

"I'm sorry, Auror Weasley, he's in room 409. I'm afraid you'll have to force his parents from the room. They've sworn not to leave."

Despite the girls stupidity, Ginny sighed. The girl was actually trying to be nice. "Thank you. I shouldn't be in there for more than an hour."

The girl smiled and Ginny forced a smile back before heading down the hall. Damn. During this case she hadn't had to deal with the parents of the children. But this one had survived, and this ones parents were here. Damn. Double damn.

Ginny stopped outside the room and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in."

She opened the door and stepped inside.

This little boy on the bed looked like he'd nearly died. The poor thing. His mother sat in a chair by the bed, while his father leaned against the wall. Both looking worse for the wear.

"Yes, can we help you?" the mother asked.

Ginny softened her demeanor. "Yes. My name is Ginevra Weasley. I'm the Auror assigned to your son's case."

The father's face softened and he gave her a small smile. "Thank the gods." he whispered.

Ginny smiled at him.

"You'll find them won't you? The ones who did this to my baby…to my little girl…" the last words were a sort of choked sob.

"Yes, ma'am. We're going to do everything we can to get this solved." She took a breath. This would be the hard part. "I'll need to speak to your son now. Alone."

The father moved away from the wall and nodded. But the mother. Oh, the mother. "No, I want to be in the room when you speak to him."

"Ma'am, it's best if I speak with him alone. Little ones tend to with hold things, even without knowing it, if they're parents are involved." Ginny explained carefully.

The mother shook her head. "No. No, I want to be in here. He needs me."

"Isabella…" the father said, urging his wife to give up.

"No, Edward, I need to be in here, Henry needs me!" Isabella rushed to explain.

"Ma'am, please, don't get too over stimulated. You'll transfer it to your son and we all need him as calm as possible. It won't take long. I only need to speak with him for a little while, and then he'll be able to sleep. Once I've gathered what I need, you can come straight back in." Ginny explained calmly. She was trying her best to keep the tension level to a minimum. Edward, the father, looked like this wasn't the first time Isabella had done this.

"No, no, no, no, no! I need to be in here with him! He needs me! I won't let you muddle with him! I know what you Auror's do! You dig about in people's brains, and mix things up! I won't let you do that to him! I won't let you do that to my -"

Isabella fell limp in her husband's arms and Ginny put her wand away.

"I'm terribly sorry Auror Weasley. Bella's…well…you understand." Edward whispered as he scooped his wife up in his arms. He kissed his wife's forehead. "Ah…Bells, he'll be fine, I wish you could see that." He smiled apologetically at Ginny. "How long will she be out?"

"About 4 hours. I think she might need that and longer." Ginny said quietly. "I'm sorry I had to put her to sleep."

Edward smiled ruefully and adjusted his sleeping wife.. "Don't worry about it. The doctor's have had to do it as well. Ever since we found out Karen didn't make it, she's clung to Henry. She wouldn't even let the doctor's take him back to surgery. She insisted on going with him. We had to put her to sleep then to. Take all the time you need. I know whatever you do will bring us closer to finding out who's doing this." And with that Edward took himself and his sleeping wife out of the room and into the hall.

Ginny shut the door and sighed.

She had the sincerest feeling that she would have been like Isabella were this her child. But, this wasn't her child, and she had a job to do. So, she banished her thoughts and went to the bed.

Henry was asleep. She hated to wake him, but these things were better if he was awake. She sat on the edge of the bed and placed the tip of her finger in the middle of his forehead. "Wake," she whispered and slowly Henrys eyes opened. Ginny smiled softly at him.

"Where's mama?" he whispered.

"She had to go eat. She's been watching you for so long she's forgotten to eat. My name's Ginny." She said. And there was the mother coming out. Anything to comfort this poor child.

"You're robes are pretty." he whispered. "Are you a doctor?"

"No," she smiled at him. "I'm an Auror."

"A real one?!" Henry whispered with awe, his blue eyes bulging.

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, a real one."

"You mean you fight bad guys?!"

Ginny laughed again. "Yep, I fight bad guys. And there's one in particular that I want to fight."

"Who's that?" the boy asked with interest.

Ginny softly touched the cut on his forehead. "I really want to fight the bad guy who did this to you."

Instantly Henry's face fell. "I don't remember…" a big fat tear slid down his cheek.

"I don't expect you to." Ginny whispered, ruffling his hair the way a big sister would. She made sure to smile reassuringly at him. "But, I have a way of finding out what you don't remember."

Henry wiped at his eyes and looked up at her. "You do?" he snuffled as he continued to scrub at his eyes.

Ginny kept smiling at him. "I most certainly do. All I have to do is to take my wand," she pulled the object in question out from her pocket, "and do this." She put her wand to his temple. Taking someone else's memories was much different than removing her own. She sent her magic through her wand, searching through Henry's memories. It didn't take long for her to find the ones she sought, but, they were locked behind a mental barrier that was too strong for Henry to have ever constructed on his own. But it wasn't strong enough to keep Ginevra out. She broke through the barriers with practiced skill and pulled her magic back with the memories. The silver wisps followed the tip of her wand as she pulled her wand away. She pulled the jar from her robe pocket and put the memories in it.

"See, that's all it takes!" Ginny smiled at Henry and placed the memories back in her pocket.

"You're done?" Henry asked.

"Yep. I'm all done." Ginny answered. She ruffled Henry's hair and stood, straightening her robes as she did.

"You're leaving?"

The question made Ginny stop. She turned and smiled at him and took his hand in hers. "Only for a while. I've got lots of stuff I have to do if we're going to catch the bad guys that did this. I promise," she ruffled his hair again, "I'll come back and visit."

Henry seemed contented with that answer and gave her a sad smile. "Can you come back tomorrow?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sure, I'll come visit tomorrow. Bye Henry." Ginny smiled at him one last time and left.

She was in tears before she reached the nurse's station. And sobbing uncontrollably by the time she apparated to the restaurant. The lucky thing about it was that Draco and Blaise were standing just outside the door when she apparated into view, and wrapped their arms around her the instant her sobs reached their ears. Somehow they ushered her into the restaurant and into the privacy of a booth.

"Gin?" Draco asked quietly as he rubbed a hand up and down her back. "What's wrong, love?"

"He's just a boy!" Ginny sobbed into the crook of Blaise's neck and shoulder. "He's just a child! How can someone do that to a child?" And she cried harder.

How long she cried she didn't rightly know, but it was a good while. Apparently she needed it. When she had finally calmed down enough to think clearly and act rationally she let the boys order her lunch while she sat quietly, only a few snuffles breaking their silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Draco asked carefully once she'd finished crying.

Ginny took a sip of her drink and leaned back against the seat. "Yes and no. I'd love to tell you anything and everything, but I can't."

"Sure you can," Draco stated.

Ginny shot him a half hearted glare. "No, you ferret, I can't. I'm not allowed to. Even what I've already told you is too much. I'm not supposed to talk about the case at all."

Blaise chuckled. "Damn, it's been a while since you called him, Ferret."

Draco glared at the both of them. "Oh, shut it!"

Despite her earlier tears Ginny laughed. "Oh, you've gotten a wee bit cocky if you think that's all it's gonna take to get me to stop!"

"Ah, there she is." Blaise whispered in her ear. "There's the little hell cat we know and love."

Ginny shivered as his breath warmed the sensitive skin behind her ear. It had been a little over a week since she'd let them back into her life. Even then she'd noticed the "tension" between them hadn't waned. In the time they'd been apart it had simply been smoldering, but now…She shivered again as Draco's fingers began a firm yet gentle massage on the back of her neck. If they were trying to take her mind off of her case they were doing a damn good job. She'd tried to be with other men, but she'd never been able to do it. It seemed Draco and Blaise were destined to be her first and last. Memories of the nights they'd spent together ran through her mind and heat pooled between her legs. This had to stop. There was no way she was going to let this happen here and now.

"Alright boys, that's enough!" Ginny had to muster up the ability to say it loud enough so that the boys could hear. She could feel their smirks even if she couldn't see them. "Can we eat our lunch in peace now, please?"

Draco and Blaise leaned back in the seat and smirked at each other. "Yes, dear. Whatever you say."

((-))

**Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. It's been forever. Please don't kill me. This is the first one I could get up. I've got a chapter for Blink in the works. (By this I mean I've had it typed up for about a month and have just now gotten around to trying to finish it.) **

**Now for "I Am" I am suffering from Writers Constipation. I have the outline worked. I have the next few chapter outlines worked, but I'm just having the small problem of getting it from outline format into written format. I have ZERO inspiration. I need help. **

**If anyone has some ideas for this story and or Blink I'm open to SOOOO many ideas. I need help. Someone help me get over my WRITERS BLOCK!!!!!! Onegai!**

**Well, I suppose that this is about it. Please help me. I need it. Just like I need your reviews. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Onegai! Oh and yes there will be sex later in this story. I'm just trying to figure out where and when I want to put it. Hell, it may be in the next chapter. **

**Anyways, please REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**Arigato**

**Ja'ne- Ami**


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